Two
astronauts, one a proud new dad for the second time, will venture outside the
International Space Station Monday on the third and last spacewalk of their
mission.
Atlantis
shuttle astronauts Randy Bresnik - whose new daughter Abigail was born
late Saturday back home - and Robert Satcher, Jr. plan to spend about 6 1/2
hours working outside the station to install a new oxygen gas tank, materials
experiment and other tasks. The orbital work was slated to begin at about 7:18
a.m. EST (1218 GMT), but may be delayed a bit due to a problem with the drink bag in Satcher's spacesuit.
During his
first-ever spacewalk Saturday, Bresnik said the extravehicular activity (EVA) -
as NASA calls it - was the second-most stunning experience of his life, ranking
just below the first time he saw his wife Rebecca. But after seeing the first
pictures of his baby girl, he expected that to change. The couple also has
one son, Wyatt, age 3.
"I think
once I get to see the pictures today of our new daughter, EVA is going to have
to take a third place," Bresnik said Sunday. He must wait until after Atlantis
lands Friday to meet his daughter in person for the first time.
Bresnik and
Satcher will each make the second spacewalk of their careers on Monday's
spacewalk. The excursion will include the installation of a high-pressure
oxygen tank near the station's airlock, adding a suitcase-like
materials experiment to one of the new spare parts platforms delivered on
their mission, checking the position of some micrometeorite debris shields and
other chores.
"We're
looking forward to that and I'm definitely looking forward to getting out and
doing another spacewalk," Satcher told reporters Sunday via a video link.
Satcher,
the first orthopedic surgeon in space, said his medical training has come in
handy.
"My training
as a surgeon, I think, has actually helped me in terms of being able to do the
spacewalk," Satcher said. "A lot of the point of being able to do a spacewalk
is the ability to stay focused and multitask in a strenuous environment, in a
spacesuit that is really miniature spaceship."
Monday's
spacewalk is the third and last excursion for the six astronauts aboard
Atlantis, who are delivering about 15 tons of spare parts and supplies to
the space station. The astronauts launched Nov. 16 and are due to depart the
space station Wednesday and land Friday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in
Florida.
Mission
Control roused the crew early Monday with the song "Space Rise" by Larry
Whitehair, a friend of Atlantis astronaut Mike Foreman.
"It makes a fantastic mission that much more special, and we appreciate it," Foreman said. "Thanks very much Larry."
SPACE.com
is providing complete coverage of Atlantis' STS-129 mission to the
International Space Station with Staff Writer Clara Moskowitz and Managing
Editor Tariq Malik based in New York. Click here for shuttle mission
updates and a link to NASA TV.
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